"surpassing even the heavy fighting at Trafalgar. It was during this battle that Lord Nelson famously ""put the telescope to the blind eye"" in order not to see Admiral Parker's signal to cease fire. The Second Battle of Copenhagen (or the Bombardment of Copenhagen) (16 August – 5 September 1807) was a British preemptive attack on Copenhagen, targeting the civilian population in order to seize the Dano-Norwegian fleet. The British landed 30,000 man and surrounded Copenhagen. The attack continued for the next three days and resulted in the death of at least 2,000 civilians and destruction of most of the"
"is not, it will be an excuse for his retreat and no blame can be imputed to him.""Nelson ordered that the signal be acknowledged, but not repeated. He turned to his flag captain, Thomas Foley, and said ""You know, Foley, I only have one eye — I have the right to be blind sometimes,"" and then, holding his telescope to his blind eye, said ""I really do not see the signal!"" Rear Admiral Graves repeated the signal, but in a place invisible to most other ships while keeping Nelson's 'close action' signal at his masthead. Of Nelson's captains, only Riou,"
"examination. He served as the ""London""s acting-signal lieutenant during the battle, sending Parker's famous signal for Nelson to withdraw. Nelson, directing action aboard , was informed of the signal by the signal lieutenant, Frederick Langford, but angrily responded: 'I told you to look out on the Danish commodore and let me know when he surrendered. Keep your eyes fixed on him.' He then turned to his flag captain, Thomas Foley, and said 'You know, Foley, I have only one eye. I have a right to be blind sometimes.' He raised the telescope to his blind eye, and said 'I really"
"the Danish commodore and let me know when he surrendered. Keep your eyes fixed on him."" He then turned to his flag captain, Thomas Foley, and said ""You know, Foley, I have only one eye. I have a right to be blind sometimes."" He raised the telescope to his blind eye, and said ""I really do not see the signal."" The battle lasted three hours, leaving both Danish and British fleets heavily damaged. At length Nelson dispatched a letter to the Danish commander, Crown Prince Frederick, calling for a truce, which the Prince accepted. Parker approved of Nelson's actions in"
"more aggressive Nelson's attention, he lifted his telescope up to his blind eye, saying, ""I have a right to be blind sometimes. I really do not see the signal,"" and most of his forces continued to press home the attack. The frigates supporting the line-of-battle ships did break off, in one case suffering severe losses in the retreat. There is a misconception that the order was to be obeyed at Nelson's discretion, but this is contradicted by the fact that it was a general order to all the attacking ships (some of whom did break off), and that later that"
"but not repeated. Legend has it that Nelson turned to his flag captain and said: """"You know, Foley, I only have one eye - I have the right to be blind sometimes"" and then holding his telescope to his blind eye said ""I really do not see the signal!"""" Nelson's action was approved in retrospect. Foley was one of Nelson's ""Band of Brothers"". Nelson himself was a sea-officer par excellence. Yet there were many who struggled, suffered and were wounded as often as he. This could not help but develop a close relationship among the men. Nelson himself was very"
"suffered more than 100 casualties, including the admiral. At approximately 20:30, an iron splinter fired in a langrage shot from ""Spartiate ""struck Nelson over his blinded right eye. The wound caused a flap of skin to fall across his face, rendering him temporarily completely blind. Nelson collapsed into the arms of Captain Edward Berry and was carried below. Certain that his wound was fatal, he cried out ""I am killed, remember me to my wife"", and called for his chaplain, Stephen Comyn. The wound was immediately inspected by ""Vanguard""<nowiki>'</nowiki>s surgeon Michael Jefferson, who informed the admiral that it was a"
"not see the signal""” (although this is generally accepted to be a myth). Nelson pressed on with the action and ultimately compelled the Danish forces to capitulate. Parker’s hesitation to advance up the Baltic Sea after his victory was later severely criticised. Soon afterwards he was recalled and Nelson succeeded him. He died on 16 March 1807. In Parker's entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography his biographer Clive Wilkinson writes that until the Copenhagen affair he had ""a good professional reputation"" but after Copenhagen he was ""considered irresolute and dilatory. In Wilson's opinion ""As an officer, Parker was"
"highly experienced officer who had been blinded in one eye during fighting in Corsica in 1794 and subsequently commended for his capture of two Spanish ships of the line at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in February 1797. In July 1797, he lost an arm at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and had been forced to return to Britain to recuperate. Returning to the fleet at the Tagus in late April 1798, he was ordered to collect the squadron stationed at Gibraltar and sail for the Ligurian Sea. On 21 May, as Nelson's squadron approached Toulon, it"
"Nelson, the newly refitted 74 gun , under Captain Edward Berry. On 8 May the ""Vanguard"", as part of a small squadron, left Gibraltar to re-establish a presence in the Mediterranean and to search for the French fleet. On 20 May, they were struck by a sudden gale in which the ""Vanguard"" lost her entire foremast assembly and both her main and mizzen topmasts. Despite the arrival of reinforcements, including ten ships of the line, on the 6 June; Nelson remained aboard the jury masted, ""Vanguard"". Therefore, Capel was serving as Nelson's signal lieutenant on 1 August 1798 when Nelson's"
"twenty-two ships and the British lost none. The victory confirmed the naval supremacy Britain had established during the course of the eighteenth century and it was achieved in part through Nelson's departure from the prevailing naval tactical orthodoxy of the day. Conventional practice at the time was for opposing fleets to engage each other in single parallel lines, in order to facilitate signalling and disengagement, and to maximise fields of fire and target areas. Nelson instead arranged his ships into two columns to sail perpendicularly into the enemy fleet's line. During the battle, Nelson was shot by a French musketeer"
"locked masts with the French ""Redoutable"". The crew of the ""Redoutable"", which included a strong infantry corps (with three captains and four lieutenants), gathered for an attempt to board and seize the ""Victory"". A musket bullet fired from the mizzentop of the ""Redoutable"" struck Nelson in the left shoulder and passed through his body lodging in his spine. Nelson exclaimed, ""They finally succeeded, I am dead."" He was carried below decks and died at about 16:30, as the battle that would make him a legend was ending in favour of the British. ""Victory"" ceased fire, the gunners having been called"
"Admiral Parker could see little of the battle owing to gun smoke, but could see the signals on the three grounded British ships, with and flying signals of distress and a signal of inability to proceed. Thinking that Nelson might have fought to a stand-still but might be unable to retreat without orders (the Articles of War demanded that all ranks 'do their utmost' against the enemy in battle), at 1:30pm Parker told his flag captain:""I will make the signal of recall for Nelson's sake. If he is in condition to continue the action, he will disregard it; if he"
"who could not see Nelson's flagship , followed Parker's signal. Riou withdrew his force, which was then attacking the ""Tre Kroner"" fortress, exposing himself to heavy fire that killed him. It was at this time that the battle swung decisively to the British, as their superior gunnery took effect. The guns of the dozen southernmost Danish ships had started to fall silent owing to the damage they had sustained, and the fighting moved northward. According to British eyewitness accounts, much of the Danish line had fallen silent by 2 pm. The cessation of firing left the way open for the"
"out from too much alcohol, Nelson suddenly awakens and screams that he has gone blind. Then, however, Blackadder reveals to Nelson that his eyepatch is simply on backwards. Relieved, Nelson returns to a drunken stupor. The Royal Navy have named a number of ships after Nelson or his victories. These have included , , and . The Royal Navy celebrates Nelson every 21 October by holding Trafalgar Night dinners and toasting """"The Immortal Memory"""" of Nelson. His flagship ""Victory"" is still kept on active commission in honour of Nelson — it is the flagship of the Second Sea Lord, and"
"forecastle, where he was wounded in the head and hit by a musket ball in the breast, becoming one of the high proportion of officers to be killed or wounded in the battle. ""Victory""s signal Lieutenant John Pasco was also wounded in the battle, while Lieutenant William Ram was killed. Bligh was carried below to be seen by the surgeon William Beatty. He was in the cockpit during the last hours of the mortally wounded Nelson's life, and was depicted in Arthur William Devis's painting ""The Death of Nelson, 21 October 1805"". Bligh is depicted apparently dazed from a head"
"battle, but when the engagement began badly for the British, Riou used his initiative to attack the Danish forts, despite being heavily outgunned. When Parker sent the signal to withdraw, Nelson ignored it and Riou felt he had no choice but to obey his commanding officer, despite his despair at what Nelson would think of retreat. As the ""Amazon"" swung away, she exposed her vulnerable stern to the Danish batteries. Riou was encouraging his men to the end when he was cut down by a round shot. Nelson, on learning of Riou's death, called the loss 'irreparable'. A monument was"
"resuming his course to Brest. Villeneuve had failed in all his objectives: he had landed no troops in Ireland, and the plan of linking with the fleet at Brest, driving off the British Channel squadrons, and supporting Napoleon's invasion of Britain came to nothing: the Armée d'Angleterre waited uselessly at Boulogne as before. In the judgment of Napoleon, his scheme of invasion was baffled by this day's action; but much indignation was felt in England at the failure of Calder to win a complete victory. In consequence of the strong feeling against him, Calder demanded a court-martial. Nelson was ordered"
"faded, and his pulse was very weak. He looked up as Beatty took his pulse, then closed his eyes. Nelson's chaplain, Alexander Scott, who remained by Nelson as he died, recorded his last words as ""God and my country."" It has been suggested by Nelson historian Craig Cabell that Nelson was actually reciting his own prayer as he fell into his death coma, as the words 'God' and 'my country' are closely linked therein. Nelson died at half-past four, three hours after being hit. Towards the end of the battle, and with the combined fleet being overwhelmed, the still relatively"
"Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. He was noted for his inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics, which together resulted in a number of decisive British naval victories, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was wounded several times in combat, losing the sight in one eye in Corsica and most of one arm in the unsuccessful attempt to conquer Santa Cruz de Tenerife. He was shot and killed during his final victory"
"Horatio Nelson in and sailed from Plymouth for Cadiz on 18 September. Captains Brown and Lechmere were later called as witnesses at the court martial of Sir Robert Calder for his failure to resume the battle the next day in the action in July. As a result, First Lieutenant John Pilfold commanded ""Ajax"" at the Battle of Trafalgar. ""Ajax"" was seventh in line in Nelson’s column and she fired on both the French 74-gun ""Bucentaure"" and the Spanish 136-gun ""Santissima Trinidad"". During the battle ""Ajax"" assisted HMS ""Orion"" in forcing the surrender of the French 74-gun ""Intrépide"". ""Ajax"" lost two"
"in the evacuation following the Siege of Toulon in that year. He was involved in the Siege of Bastia under the command of Lord Hood, and then as a volunteer at the capture of Calvi, Corsica, in 1794 (in which Nelson lost the sight of his right eye); he was mentioned in despatches by Lord Hood for his part in this action, and was subsequently given command of . By 1795 he was in command of ""HMS Courageux"", and took part with her in the Battle of Hyères. He was not aboard in December 1796 when the vessel was wrecked"
"the deepest part of the channel properly and so kept too far to seaward. Parker gave Nelson the twelve ships-of-the-line with the shallowest drafts, and all the smaller ships in the fleet. Parker himself stayed to the north-east of the battle with the heavier ships – whose deeper drafts did not allow them to safely enter the channel – screening Nelson from possible external interference and moving towards Copenhagen to engage the northern defences. Nelson transferred his command from the large 98-gun to the shallower 74-gun for this reason. On 30 March Nelson, and his second-in-command, Rear Admiral Thomas Graves,"
"in his eyes and a deathly paleness over his face made me comprehend him. I believe I gave a scream and fell back, and for ten hours I could neither speak nor shed a tear. King George III, on receiving the news, is alleged to have said, in tears, ""We have lost more than we have gained."" ""The Times"" reported: We do not know whether we should mourn or rejoice. The country has gained the most splendid and decisive Victory that has ever graced the naval annals of England; but it has been dearly purchased. The first tribute to Nelson"
"French line and engaging their ships one by one. Nelson on ""Vanguard"" personally engaged ""Spartiate"", also coming under fire from ""Aquilon"". At about eight o'clock, he was with Berry on the quarter-deck when a piece of French shot struck him in his forehead. He fell to the deck, a flap of torn skin obscuring his good eye. Blinded and half stunned, he felt sure he would die and cried out ""I am killed. Remember me to my wife."" He was taken below to be seen by the surgeon. After examining Nelson, the surgeon pronounced the wound non-threatening and applied a"
"had taken a direct gunpowder explosion to his face and eyes, blinding him, while looking through the pilothouse's narrow, horizontal viewing slits. ""Monitor"" remained in the shallows, but as it was late in the day, ""Virginia"" steamed for her home port, the battle ending without a clear victor: The captain of ""Virginia"" that day, Lieutenant Catesby ap Roger Jones, received advice from his pilots to depart over the sandbar toward Norfolk until the next day. Lieutenant Jones wanted to continue the fight, but the pilots emphasized that the ""Virginia"" had ""nearly three miles to run to the bar"" and that"
"shoulder blade in the muscles of his back. Nelson was carried below by sergeant-major of marines Robert Adair and two seamen. As he was being carried down, he asked them to pause while he gave some advice to a midshipman on the handling of the tiller. He then draped a handkerchief over his face to avoid causing alarm amongst the crew. He was taken to the surgeon William Beatty, telling him You can do nothing for me. I have but a short time to live. My back is shot through. Nelson was made comfortable, fanned and brought lemonade and watered"
"so repeat his signals to the rest of the fleet. They were also to observe the progress of the battle, report on escaping ships, take over surrendered enemy ships that had not been taken and take in tow dismasted British ships or their prizes. They then all went below and witnessed Nelson's will. The ""Naiad"" duly remained out of the general melee, did not open fire, and sustained no casualties. After the battle she took William Hargood's damaged and dismasted in tow. Dundas's most significant challenge of the battle was navigating both the ""Naiad"" and the crippled ""Belleisle"" through the"
"the British. ""Achille"" exploded, ""Intrépide"" and ""San Augustín"" burned, and ""L'Aigle"", ""Berwick"", ""Fougueux"", and ""Monarca"" were wrecked in a gale following the battle. As Nelson lay dying, he ordered the fleet to anchor, as a storm was predicted. However, when the storm blew up, many of the severely damaged ships sank or ran aground on the shoals. A few of them were recaptured, some by the French and Spanish prisoners overcoming the small prize crews, others by ships sallying from Cádiz. Surgeon William Beatty heard Nelson murmur, ""Thank God I have done my duty""; when he returned, Nelson's voice had"
"along the Egyptian coast, decaying slowly in the intense, dry heat. Nelson, who on surveying the bay on the morning of 2 August said, ""Victory is not a name strong enough for such a scene"", remained at anchor in Aboukir Bay for the next two weeks, preoccupied with recovering from his wound, writing dispatches, and assessing the military situation in Egypt using documents captured on board one of the prizes. Nelson's head wound was recorded as being ""three inches long"" with ""the cranium exposed for one inch"". He suffered pain from the injury for the rest of his life and"
"command pennants. The six British ships dispatched earlier to Gibraltar had not returned, so Nelson would have to fight without them. He was outnumbered and outgunned, nearly 30,000 men and 2,568 guns to his 17,000 men and 2,148 guns. The Franco-Spanish fleet also had six more ships of the line, and so could more readily combine their fire. There was no way for some of Nelson's ships to avoid being ""doubled on"" or even ""trebled on"". The battle progressed largely according to Nelson's plan. At 11:45, Nelson sent the famous flag signal, ""England expects that every man will do his"
"British attention then turned to Mozello, which was bombarded for twelve days. A large breach was blown in the walls of Mozello, but counter battery fire caused significant casualties in the British gun crews, including Nelson, who was blinded in one eye. On 18 July Stuart ordered Moore and David Wemyss to lead an attack on the fort, which was taken in a fierce battle following hand-to-hand fighting on the walls. The British then subjected the town to heavy bombardment, causing significant damage and casualties. In late July there were a series of negotiations and a truce, but the arrival"
"""Victory"". The battle was by now almost over with only some remaining skirmishing between ""Britannia"", ""Orion"" and the departing Spanish covering ""Santísima Trinidad"" (which was to later serve as the Spanish flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar). Nelson remained on board the captured Spanish ships while they were made secure – and was cheered by the British ships as they passed. He returned to the ""Captain"" to thank Captain Miller and presented him with the sword of the captain of the ""San Nicolás"". At 5:00, Nelson shifted his pennant from the disabled ""Captain"" to ""Irresistible"". The Battle of Cape St."